James lyall



J. L-Y'ALL WOVEN FABRIC FOR WHEBLTIRES. No. 505,294.

(No Model.)

Pate-nt'e-dfiept. 19, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES LYALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WOVEN FABRIC FOR WHEEL-TIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,294, dated September 19, 1893. I

Application filed February 9, 1893. Serial No. 461,559. No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES LYALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Woven Fabrics for Wheel- Tires, of which the following is aspecification.

In the construction of elastic wheel tires, especially those employed for bicycles and tricycles, a strip of canvas has been made use of, either Woven straight or cut on the bias and bent into a tubular form and united at the edges, or at the ends, so as to be introduced into the india rubber forming the tire tion of the flexible tire.

or tread of the wheel or employed around the expansible inflated tube of such tire. In the employment of such heavy woven fabric or canvas the ends have necessarily been lapped and united together, thereby forming a seam or irregularity in the periphery of the wheel. In the present invention I weave a tubular fabric of a diameter corresponding or approximately so to thediameter of the elastic tire, so that the warps in the tubular fabric eX- tend from edge to edge of such tubular fabric and the weft threads pass around the fabric, the fabric being cut off in ring-shaped sections of the proper width to wrap around and form the canvas tube, the seam of the same or the points at which the edges are secured orbronght together being adjacent to the folly of the wheel, thereby the canvas or fabric is substantially seamless, because it is of auniform fabric all around the tread por- V 7 1n weaving this tubular fabric I make use of divergent reeds upon the lathe and raise or lower such divergent reeds progressively by a Jacquard or other movement, so that the width of the.

double or tubular fabric woven is varied, the object being that the larger diameter of the tubular fabric shall correspond to the exterior portion of such fabric when applied to the flexible tire and the narrower portion of such double or tubular fabric shall be approximately the measurement of the folly of thewheel, and when desired pockets are woven in the fabric across the same at proper distances apart so that wires, reeds or other similar devices may be introduced into these pockets and employed in holding the inner portions or edges of the fabric adjacent to the felly. It is to be understood that the double or tubular fabric, woven as aforesaid, is:c1'1t across transversely at the proper places between the piece of fabric for one tire and the piece of fabric for the next tire.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrative of the shape in which the tubular fabric is woven. Fig. 2 shows one piece of the tubular fabric out 011* and ready for use. Fig. 3 is a cross section of such tubular fabric on a larger scale in the form in whichthe same will assume, or approximately so, when surrounding an inflated tube within or forming part of the flexible tire, and Fig. 4 is a section inlarger size of theedges of thefabric.

The warp threads are represented at A and these are manipulated by any suitable J acquard or other mechanism and the weft thread or threads is or are laid in by any suitable shuttle and the weaving is progressed regularly, the shuttle passing in one direction through the upper shed and returning in the other direction through the lower shed, thereby forming a woven tube B.

In cases where a plain woven tube is employed that is parallel throughout its length, sections of such woven tube are cut off with the warp threads of such a length that the tube section when applied to the wheel can be drawn around the inflated tube or other portion of the elastic'tire, and the edges of such woven or canvas tube can be secured in any usual or suitable manner, the ends of the warp threads extending to the folly or portions adjacent thereto. 1 however prefer to weave into the fabric pockets 0 which pass around the double or tubular fabric at proper places so as to be at the proper distance from the line D at which one tubular section is severed from the other, in order that the fabric near the edge thereof may be folded backwardly and hemmed, as represented at E, if desired, for strengthening the edges of such fabric.

Into the pockets 0 wires, cords, reeds or similar devices may be inserted to be used in connection with the appliances common in bicycle and tricycle wheels for clamping and holding such cords, wires or similar devices and thereby securing the woven fabric or canvas in its proper position in the wheel tire; and in cases where a lacing is made use of for connecting the edges of the woven fabrice adjacent to the felly, eyelets F are introduced at proper distances apart into the woven fabric for the reception of the lace or other connecting device.

The weft threads at the middle portions G of the tubular woven sections may be elastic to increase the facility with which the tubular section can be caused to assume the proper shape as such woven tubular section is drawn around the inflated tube or elastic portion of the tire, such elastic Weft threads stretching under the expanding action of the inflated tube and causing the woven fabric to assume the proper shape without creases or folds near the inner edges. The aforesaid object is also promoted by introducing a movable reed with diverging wires, so that the reed may be raised and lowered as the weaving progresses, the central portion of each tubular section being woven when the longest part of the divergent reed is used to beat up the weft threads; and the edge portions 3 of the woven fabric are formed when the narrowest portion of the reed is in position for beating up the weft threads. Hence the tubular fabric will be woven in a shape approximating that represented in Fig. 1, and when the section of the fabric is cut off on the line D and distended into a circular shape it will form a hollow ring with a concavity at the inner side and be convex on the outer side so as to approximate the shape of the inflated or flexible tube of the tire. Hence such woven tubular section is easily applied around such inflated tire and its edges drawn toward each other and secured in any of the well known modes.

In consequence of the fabric being closely woven the risk of the flexible tire or inflated tube being punctured is reduced to a minimum, and the warp and weft threads can be of any desired strength so as to be durable and adapted to particular characters of wheels.

I claim as my invention 1. As a new article of manufacture, a section of heavy cylindrical canvas fabric having the weft threads running around such cylindrical section and with the warp threads extending across from edge to edge thereof, and means woven with such section for securing its edges in place, whereby such tubuextending across from edge to edge thereof, the weft threads in the central portion of such woven tubular canvas section being elastic, such tubular section being adapted to form the canvas or woven fabric in the elastic tire of a wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a cylindrical fabric section woven and having the weft threads running around such cylindrical section and with the warp threads extendin g across from edge to edge thereof and pockets woven around such tubular section and near the edges thereof, such tubular section being adapted to form the canvas or Woven fabric in the elastic tire of a Wheel, substantially as set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a cylindrical fabric section woven and having the weft threads running around such cylindrical section and with the warp threads extending across from edge to edge thereof, such tubular section being adapted to form the canvas or woven fabric in the elastic tire of a wheel, and eyelets introduced into such fabric and near the edge thereof, substantially as set forth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a cy lindrical fabric section woven and having the weft threads running around such cylindrical section and with the warp threads extending across from edge to edge thereof and pockets Woven around such tubular section and near the edges thereof, such tubular section being adapted to form the canvas or woven fabric in the elastic tire of a wheel, and eyelets introduced into such fabric and near the edges thereof, substantially as set forth.

6. .As a new article of manufacture, a ringshaped fabric section woven and having the Weft threads running around such cylindrical section and with the warp threads extend-- ing across from edge to edge thereof, the weft threads near the edges of the section being shorter than the weft threads near the middle portions of the section, so that the ringshaped fabric section is contracted to a less diameter near the edges than in the middle portions and adapted to form the canvas fabric for the elastic tire of a wheel, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 25th day of January, 1893.

JAMES LYALL.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, A. M. OLIVER. 

